Dear Friends,
Creating an authentic “happy new year” message has challenged me this year. I genuinely DO wish you a better 2021 than the year we just experienced, however, cheerful platitudes seem shallow this year. We are in the midst of a troubling time and there is little need for me to enumerate the events of our world that are vexing our sense of well-being and hope.
However, I do remain filled with hope! My hope is built on a firm foundation. Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College has persevered in a doggedly determined way through 18 decades. Those years were filled with challenges of all kinds; wars, political strife, illnesses including another global pandemic, a great depression, inflation, changing needs of students and so many other events have all been weathered by our Woods.
With devotion to mission at our core, we have continued to move forward.
Virtus cum scientia, the powerful intertwining of virtue and knowledge, was an idea and a gift from our French sisters. The words provide a challenge for us to remain committed to more than just education. It was our original call to Aspire Higher! The motto is inscribed on our College seal and the words are a bedrock of this institution. While completion of a stellar educational program provides opportunity for employment and fulfillment, the combination of this with a call to virtue has created (and continues to create) generations of world changers. This gives me both hope and purpose!
Preparation for an opening day prayer filled my thoughts with the constancy of God. Turbulence makes us crave something firm on which to hold. Saint Mother Theodore Guerin modeled for us a daily dependence on God. Pondering the attributes of God and remembering the tangible demonstrations of God’s love for us renews my hope. The challenge before us is to live what we have learned and to live what we believe. Perhaps our faith is best illuminated in the midst of great challenge.
Happy 2021! There is a new year before us, and it is filled with new opportunities. May we fill our days with a relentless pursuit of knowledge and virtue!
Sincerely,
